1st Birthday Party

This last weekend, we visited the family in Altus, OK, to celebrate Baby Girl’s 1st birthday.

I learned a very important lesson very early. I actually don’t know that it was a lesson as much as it was just a way of life. No one sat down and told me “this is the way it is”. But, somehow it makes sense.

Growing up, we didn’t always celebrate holidays or birthdays on the exact day. In fact, we probably didn’t do it on the “special day” over half the time. We usually did Christmas stuff the day before. But if we all got snowed in and couldn’t make it, we would reschedule. If someone had to work, we would wait up or get up early just so that we could be together for a bit. It wasn’t the end of the world.

It wasn’t about the gifts. It wasn’t even about pictures. In fact, most holidays we spent in our pajamas (and still do!).

What really mattered at the end of the day was that we all knew that we were loved.

First birthdays are really for the adults.
She isn’t going to remember it. She doesn’t care that we celebrated two weeks late because it was in the middle of finals. She’ll just get to look back at pictures…

So why not let the grandparents and the great-grandparents spoil her all weekend?!

She got pretty good at opening gifts…

My wonderful, loving, thoughtful brother got her…well…a very loud set of maracas, bongo drums, and castanets…which she figured out very quickly. That could be- fun!

Then we had the strawberry birthday cake. Carrying on the tradition…

No resemblance at all….

She was a little hesitant at first. She kept looking back at me when she would touch it, almost as if to say “Is this ok?!”

She warmed up to it fast enough though…

And, while she did get to open gifts and some attempts at blowing out a candle, I hope she realizes that it isn’t about that. It’s because we want to celebrate her because we love her. That love is not because of what she’s done or hasn’t done–not because she can say “light” and walk–not because she’s smart or cute–but simply because she’s ours.

“This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us…” 1 John 4:10

Stephanie

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6 responses to “1st Birthday Party”

  1. The picture of you on the table and her on the table are amazingly alike. Sooooo cute. Thanks for sharing and for the spiritual lesson too. Great.

  2. I had a similar realization yesterday. I was remembering how recently a little girl annoyed me (well not her as much as what she has been taught). She walked up to her grandmother, with her very best pouty face, to ask her if she thought she was pretty. Of course the grandmother went on and on about how beautiful she was and asked her why she was asking. The little girls response was ‘because I don’t feel pretty right now, I have dirt on my hands and my shoes are dirty, and my hair is messed up’. I now wish I had taken the opportunity to ask her; , did she love Jesus, was she kind to others, did she help others, was she mean to those little brothers running around with her or did she love them to pieces, did she do as her parents asked…etc. I wish I had taken the opportunity to say….THOSE are the things that make you beautiful. I love that you are realizing early with your baby that the things others consider ‘the right way’ or ‘perfect’ are not so for everyone. Enjoying family and friends and taking care of each other is what makes life beautiful. Sorry if I rambled….it made sense in my mind 🙂

    • I definitely makes sense! No need to apologize! I’m glad that I was brought up that way- and hope that I can do the same for my kiddos. It’s definitely a hard balance with having so much technology and “toys” available but needing to know that they aren’t necessary to be happy…It’s just another part of the journey!